SOUTH PHILLY AGENDA

My main priorities as your state representative will be to deliver effective and responsive constituent services and to bring South Philadelphia working families, students and seniors their fair share of state funding.

Beyond those priorities, I am committed to a progressive legislative agenda that supports our South Philadelphia families and communities:

Jobs and economic development

Increase the minimum wagePennsylvania's minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and hasn’t been changed since 2008, when it was increased by only 10 cents per hour. The rate is unacceptable in Pennsylvania, and it is not possible to support a family in Philadelphia at this rate. We must increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Funding our portsDeveloping and investing in our ports creates thousands of local jobs and impacts our South Philadelphia communities. I am committed to continuing the work done by State Representative Keller and State Senator Farnese to rehabilitate our ports and create thousands more family-sustaining jobs.

Buy localWe shouldn’t spend our tax dollars on products that are made overseas and companies that offshore American jobs. I will support sensible legislation that requires state expenditures to prioritize products and services that are made in Pennsylvania, or at least in the United States.

Labor rights

I have lived in South Philadelphia my entire life and grew up surrounded by friends and family who were able to raise their families with good-paying union jobs.

I will fight to protect the fundamental bargaining rights of organized labor, oppose the privatization of state services, oppose reduction of workers’ compensation benefits, and support legislation that assures all workers the legally protected right to union representation.

In addition, I will fight against any efforts to impose so-called “Right-to-Work” or “Paycheck Protection” legislation, which are designed to undermine the rights of organized workers.

Voting Rights

Voting is our most fundamental right. As your state representative, I will work to pass laws that make voting more accessible to eligible citizens. My plan:

Establish early voting and same-day registrationForcing Pennsylvanians to vote on a single day hurts working families, who often don’t have the flexibility to skip work or childcare commitments and make their way to their local polling place. I will fight in Harrisburg to create early voting centers in our communities that will give people the opportunity to vote in the weeks preceding primary and general elections.

Grace period registrationOur voter registration deadline is 30 days before an election. That is much too restrictive and prevents young people and new residents from registering during a crucial time when election awareness is at its highest.

I will work to create “grace period” registration access for voters within 30 days of an election. Once the deadline to register passes, citizens should still be able to register to vote in person at local election authorities.

Automatic voter registrationWe need to encourage all eligible citizens to participate in the democratic process. That starts by making sure we enroll as many eligible voters as possible.

I will work to pass a law that automatically registers eligible voters when they interact with government services like the DMV, DHS, or veterans services. Pennsylvania residents who do not want to be registered will be given the option to opt-out.

Crime

Our community will only remain strong as long as South Philadelphians feel safe. I will support:

Keeping violent criminals behind bars

A statewide ban on assault weapons

Comprehensive background checks on all gun purchases

Better resources for investigating and cracking down on gang and drug activity

Education

Philadelphia schools are continually shortchanged by Harrisburg politicians. I will protect our public schools by:

Fighting for a fair school funding formula that provides Philadelphia students with the resources they need

Supporting increased overall funding for public schools with the goal of smaller class sizes, better facilities, and modern educational materials

Providing teachers with the training and materials they need to help their students thrive